Anywhere But In Between
by andyfeltrad
Summary: Ryan gave him a small, bemused smile, one side of his lip quirking up slowly and Troy momentarily forgot Gabriella’s number. TroyRyan slash.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Anywhere But In Between

**Rating:** T (But it might be rated higher in later chapters)

**Pairing:** Troy/Ryan, hints of Gabriella/Sharpay, past Troy/Gabriella

**Word Count:** For this chapter: 4,421

**Summary: **Troy and Ryan end up being partners for an English project and Troy discovers more than he's ready to handle.

**Author's notes:** This is sort of a companion fic to **Maria1229**'s story _**Of Lavender and Laundry Detergent (Gabriella/Sharpay).**_ And I say "sort of" and use the term companion loosely because, though it follows the _very basic_ storyline, it's also quite different from her story. And you definitely don't have to read her story first to get what's going on here. But you may want to anyway because it's really good!

**Disclaimer:** High School Musical and its characters belong to Disney and Company. This is all work of pure fiction. I own nothing. I'm just having fun and playing with their characters.

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**Anywhere But In Between**

**Part 1**

When Troy and Gabriella break up, it doesn't go the way Troy expects it to. There are no tears, no harsh words, no bad feelings. In fact, it was a mutual parting of ways with a promise to remain friends. Best of friends. A fact that made Troy feel better. Just because that part of their relationship was ending didn't mean the other couldn't remain. Troy was grateful.

He was also glad that Gabriella was the one with the guts to end it. Troy had known for a while that things were heading in that direction. After Lava Springs, things had changed. Troy had changed. He had thought he and Gabriella would be stronger. Better. After everything they've been through, it only made sense. But Troy kept waiting. Kept waiting for that moment of elation he felt every time Gabriella looked at him. Or the way his stomach did flips whenever she smiled at him. But it didn't come. And Troy couldn't understand why every time Gabriella kissed him, he had to muster the strength to kiss her back. Like it was an obligation. And with no real passion behind it. He thought maybe it was because they've been together too long already, that the magic behind their relationship had fizzed out.

Troy remembered when Gabriella was all he could think about. The first time he met her, the first time he heard her sing. The way her brown eyes saw right through him. The way her expressions seemed to be all knowing. When she smiled it was like her lips held all the secrets Troy had been keeping inside himself. Too afraid for anyone else to find out.

_You're a cool guy, Troy. But not for the reasons your friends think._

He had fallen then. And hard. He used to dream about Gabriella every night. And in his dreams he was always running. Running away from his father and teammates who chased him with basketballs and jerseys, demanding him to get his head in the game. He ran fast and always ended up in a tunnel, a light shining brightly at the end. And on the other side would be Gabriella, wearing the same clothes she had on when he first met her. Her hair bright and shiny, falling in soft waves across her shoulders. She would smile and reach for his hand.

_It's alright, Troy. You're okay._

And Troy would wake up, a smile on his face. Yeah, he was okay.

Gabriella used to tease him and say she was literally the light at the end of his tunnel every time he told her about the dream. And he would always smile, kiss her, and say, _Yeah, yeah you are_.

Troy still had that dream. Only Gabriella was no longer on the other side of the tunnel.

So when she turned to him on a Friday night, a serious look on her face, he knew what to expect. He had climbed in through her window for their date, just like he always did. But this time he was greeted with a somber looking Gabriella. Her brown eyes the saddest he's ever seen them.

_"Troy, we need to talk."_

_Troy chuckled nervously. "Well, this can't be good."_

_She smiled and took his hand._

Troy had been nervous, not knowing what to say. They sat on her bed for several painful minutes until Gabriella finally broke the silence. And everything came pouring out. What happened at Lava Springs, from their temporary separation to their tentative reconciliation. How they had gone the rest summer carefully walking on eggshells around each other and how everything felt the same yet different.

_"Troy, do you think that maybe…" she hesitated. "Maybe things have been…"_

_"Changing between us?" he finished for her._

_Gabriella breathed. "Yeah." She gave him a small smile. "I don't know what it is. I mean, I've been trying and I just can't…"_

_"I know."_

_She bit her lip. "You're not…mad at me?"_

_Troy blinked. "No, Gabriella. I could never be mad at you." He paused. "I thought it was just me. That I did something wrong."_

_"No. You're definitely not the only one feeling this way."_

_Troy squeezed her hand. "So…what do we do? How do we fix it?"_

_Gabriella looked him straight in the eye and gave him a watery smile. The same smile he saw in his dreams every night._

_"I don't know if we can."_

_Troy swallowed. "Gabriella, I…" he stopped, not sure what to say, but knowing it was over._

_"I know." She bit her lip. "I don't want to lose you."_

_Troy knew what she meant. "You won't." He drew her into his arms and breathed in her smell. "You won't," he murmured again._

_Then she leaned in and kissed him softly. "No regrets?" A whisper between lips but Troy felt every inch of it._

_He smiled. "No regrets."_

And that had been it. But Troy shouldn't have been surprised. When it came to Gabriella, things always fell in place. She gives off a 'you-get-what-you-see' and 'I'll-tell-you-as-it-is' sort of vibe and Troy admired her for it. Made things simple. And simple was exactly what he was going to need to survive their senior year.

--&--&--

They were towards the end of their fall semester. And with it came more college applications, more college representatives, more scholarship recommendations, advice from counselors, advice about future career paths, countless senior assemblies, and not to mention midterms and finals. It was driving Troy crazy and it didn't help that he seemed to have developed the worst case of _senioritis_. Ever.

He knew he should be paying attention to class instead of daydreaming, but he couldn't bring his eyes to focus on what Mr. Orfino was writing on the board. He jumped when he felt a pinch on his side and looked up to see Gabriella. She titled her head towards the front and raised an eyebrow with a look that clearly read: _Pay attention, Bolton, because I won't lend you my notes this time._

Troy gave her a sheepish look and sat up, winked at her, and turned his attention towards the board. Gabriella shook her head and went back to her furious note taking, hand moving fast back and forth across her notebook. Troy winced in sympathy for her hand. That was definitely going to be sore later. He looked down at his own blank page and decided he might as well make the effort to write something down. He looked up and tried to decipher their teacher's horrible handwriting. Something about a project? The task was difficult within itself without the sudden glare obstructing half his vision. What the hell?

He looked around until he found the source. Sharpay had taken out her compact mirror to check her appearance, making sure every strand of hair was in perfect place and blinding half the class in the process. Troy rolled his eyes and put his pencil down, giving up the note taking as a bad job. Well, he tried. He was stretching and stifling a yawn when he noticed Gabriella's furious whispering.

"Sharpay!"

Sharpay ignored her.

"Sharpay, I can't see the board and not to mention you're blinding me. Can you look at yourself after class is over?"

Sharpay raised the mirror higher indicating she heard Gabriella, but was choosing to keep ignoring her.

_Uh oh_. Troy knew where this was headed. He tapped Gabriella on the shoulder, a finger on his lips telling her to be quiet. She ignored him and proceeded to chuck her pen at Sharpay, hitting her square on the head. Troy snickered but immediately winced when he heard Sharpay's yelp.

"Ms. Evans, does this assignment excite you?"

_Fuck._

Mr. Orfino did not look amused.

Sharpay gave him her most charming smile. "No, Mr. Orfino. Gabriella just…"

"Chose you as her partner for the project?" he finished.

_Double fuck._

Troy jumped as both girls yelped in disbelief. Gabriella tried to object but her protests fell on deaf ears as Mr. Orfino dismissed the class. Sharpay stomped out the room, flinging her hair dramatically. Gabriella rolled her eyes but looked extremely put out as they exited and made their way towards the lockers.

Troy put his arm around her. "So I guess I have to look for a new partner," he joked and nudged her gently.

Gabriella's expression was apologetic. "I'm sorry, Troy. I did not expect that to happen."

"It's alright. So why did you throw your pen at her?"

"Because she was _annoying_ me."

"She's always annoying you."

"I know. But this time I couldn't see the board because of her _stupid mirror_, and her _stupid_ way of pretending to ignore me, and her _stupid_ narcissistic--"

Troy let her go on. When it came to Gabriella and Sharpay showdowns, it always went like this. Troy looked on, amused.

When she was finished he held out his arms. "Do you need a hug?"

Gabriella made a face but buried herself against his chest anyway.

"Oh, the damages my sister always leaves behind."

They both turned to see Ryan, head titled and a small smirk on his lips. Today he was wearing a black hat, blue buttoned-down shirt, and khakis. Casual, Troy thought.

"So what happened in there?"

"I threw my pen at Sharpay."

"Why?"

"Why not?"

Ryan laughed out loud. A genuine laugh that Troy was still getting used to hearing from him. Ryan and Chad had become pretty good friends over the summer. But it was still a surprise to see him at Chad's house whenever Troy came over. Maybe it was because Ryan stood out, all bright colors and smiles. But with a killer curve ball, Troy had to admit. And Troy will always have the memory of Ryan trying to teach Chad the two-step ingrained in his mind. They had laughed for days after.

Despite the camaraderie Troy felt a bit uncomfortable around Ryan and he was trying to figure out why. Because Ryan wasn't manipulative, vindictive, and was a hell of a lot nicer than Sharpay. He was easy going, had a good sense of humor, and was a huge Giants fan; something that the two of them should have bonded over immensely.

Troy inwardly shrugged. He probably still felt left out from the time everyone hung out over the summer while Sharpay dragged him around. Or maybe he was jealous that Ryan and Chad were now close and there was no room left for him? Troy shook his head, aware of how ridiculous that sounded.

"…why don't you and Troy do it together?" Troy snapped out of his thoughts and dropped the book he had been holding for Gabriella on her foot. He had a feeling he missed a vital part of their conversation.

"Ow!" Gabriella smacked him. "That hurt."

"Sorry!" Troy said, and immediately bent down to pick it up, smacking his head against the open locker door on his way back up.

Gabriella stared at him with wide eyes. "Geez, Troy, what the hell?"

"Sorry," he murmured again, rubbing his head. He glanced at Ryan who had a small smile on his face, looking like he was trying not to laugh.

"Alright there, slick?"

Troy was embarrassed. "Uh…yeah." He cleared his throat. "So, what were you guys talking about?"

Gabriella looked exasperated. "Since Sharpay and I are partners now, Ryan doesn't have one. And since you don't have one either, I suggested you two should do the project together."

Putting his hands in his pockets, Ryan smiled at him. "So, want to be partners?"

Troy nodded. "Sure, when do you want to meet?"

Ryan thought for a second. "How about after school?"

Troy shook his head. "Can't. Basketball practice."

Ryan shrugged. "No problem, I'll just stay and watch it. I'd rather not be home since I have a feeling my sister won't be in one of her chipper moods."

Gabriella snorted. "Is she ever?"

Troy ran a hand through his hair. "Okay, that's cool. I have to get to my next class. I'll see you at lunch, Gabriella." He turned to walk away.

"Um, Troy?"

"Yeah?"

Gabriella held out her hand. "My book?"

Feeling more foolish, Troy handed her the book. With a little wave he walked away, trying not to cringe when he heard Ryan ask Gabriella if he was always this weird._ Only around you._

--&--&-- _  
_

Troy missed one or two more baskets than he usually did at practice, earning him a look from his father. And he knew what it meant.

_Son, I know you're trying your best and there is a lot of pressure on you this year. But a scholarship is really important, and we really can't afford--_

_I know, dad._

Troy sighed, banging his head against his gym locker. The sound echoed around the empty room, giving Troy some satisfaction.

"That bad, huh?"

Troy nearly jumped out of his skin. Whirling around, he found Ryan leaning against one of the end lockers.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

Troy shook his head. "No, it's fine. I just thought I was alone." There was an awkward pause. "So you saw how horrible I was at practice, huh?"

Ryan smiled. "Nah, not horrible. But you can use some work on your lay ups and getting the ball to the paint faster."

Troy blinked. "You know basketball?"

Ryan grinned. "Maybe."

"Oh." Troy was thrown off balance for a second. "I just thought it was baseball."

Ryan grinned wider. "I'm full of surprises."

_I bet_, Troy thought.

"You seemed distracted."

Troy blinked again. "Oh…yeah." He hesitated, not comfortable revealing that much information to Ryan. They may run in the same circle of friends now, but they didn't really know each other. This project would be the first time they actually spent any time together. Alone.

Troy ran a hand through his hair. A nervous habit he had yet to break. "Ready to go?"

Ryan unglued himself from the locker and stood up straight. "Yeah. I'm thinking we can go over your house since my mom is having some people from her yoga team over. Is that okay?"

Troy was already stuffing his clothes in a bag. "Yeah, that's fine." He paused. "There are yoga teams?"

Ryan shrugged. "Apparently. I always go solo myself."

Troy let out a small laugh. "Well, you can just follow me. Did you and Sharpay drive separately?"

"Actually, no. And Sharpay is already gone."

"Oh." He bit his lip. "Alright, then. Follow me, truck's this way. And the seat belt on the passenger side doesn't work. You sort of have to wrap it around yourself a few times."

Ryan laughed. "Ghetto."

"Yup. That okay?"

"I think I'll live, Troy."

Troy grinned. "Not afraid I'm going to crash and you'll go flying out the window?"

"I'll just have to wrap the seat belt extra tight then. Got any tape?"

"Actually I do."

Ryan gave him a bewildered look.

"What? It's for my wiper blades, so they don't fall off."

Ryan blinked at him a few times before letting out a loose, loud laugh.

Troy smiled all the way to his car, feeling immensely better. Ryan Evans in his truck. He never thought he'd live to see the day.

--&--&--

Troy drummed his pencil idly on his math book. They were trying to come up with a theme for their project. It was based on Shakespeare and they had been given _A Midsummer Night's Dream_. They only had five minutes to present the main plot. No more, no less. And Mr. Orfino had said to "creative." Whatever the hell that meant.

Troy rubbed a hand over his face in frustration. How was one supposed to present Shakespeare in only five minutes? He didn't even think it was possible. And he knew next to nothing about romantic comedies. But they couldn't mess this one up because it counted as their midterm and a quarter of their final grade. Troy started drumming his pencil again.

Ryan turned to him. "Anything?"

Troy blew bangs off his eyes. "Yeah, I got nothing."

"Yeah, me either." Ryan took off his hat to scratch his head.

Troy noticed the mud stain on it and flushed, remembering how it got there. There had been a particularly embarrassing moment right when they got to his house. Troy wasn't kidding about his seat belt. Ryan ended up wrapping it around himself three times. And when Troy parked in his driveway and turned to get out he had noticed Ryan struggling.

_"How the heck do you get out of this thing?"_

_Troy's eyes widened and he got back in the car. "Oh man, I'm sorry. I didn't think that would happen. Gabriella usually just shimmies out."_

_Ryan continued to struggle. "What do you mean 'shimmies out'?"_

_Troy placed his hands on the belt and tried to pull. "Oh. You know how small she is. She sort of just slides herself out from under there."_

_"Oh. Well I think I'm a bit bigger than Gabriella."_

_"Yeah." Troy kept pulling as Ryan turned his body here and there, trying to get loose._

_"There's like no room to move in this thing."_

_Troy let go for a moment and leaned over to open the passenger door._

_"There. Try and sway back and forth and I'll pull."_

_Ryan did what was asked while Troy pulled as hard as he could. He heard a click as the belt unbuckled, sending Troy sprawling backwards into his seat. While Ryan fell out of the car, landing right in a small puddle of mud._

_Troy quickly scrambled back up and leaned over to check on him. "Shit! I'm sorry."_

_Ryan got up slowly, rubbing his arm and wiping mud off his hat. He shrugged then grinned. "Hey you warned me, right?"_

_Troy blinked in surprise and both burst out laughing._

Troy tipped his pencil. "Sorry about that again," he said, indicating the hat.

"It's alright. I've about a million at home."

"That's good. Truck is still a work in progress. My main priority was to get it running."

Ryan twirled his hat on a finger. "I know how that goes. I got a '67 Chevy Impala at home I've been tinkering with."

Troy's pencil fell and rolled off his book, falling on the floor with a dull thud. "You've got a '67 Chevy Impala?!"

"Yeah. You know cars?"

"Fuck yeah, I know cars! Wait…_you_ know cars?"

Ryan nodded, looking amused. "Well, not that much but enough to help my dad fix up the impala."

"That's so damn cool. How did you get one? Those things are getting more rare."

"My grandpa gave it to me. It was his car as a teenager. It's not running right now but it's got an original 327hp engine and everything."

Troy looked like Christmas had come early. "You're totally my new favorite person right now." Troy was too preoccupied in his excitement to notice Ryan's blush.

"You should come over some time to check it out then."

Troy's eyes widened with surprise. "Really?"

"Sure. Maybe you can help me with it."

Troy nodded enthusiastically.

Ryan laughed. "So I guess we're not getting any work done today, eh?"

Troy deflated a bit like he forgot what they were supposed to be doing. "I guess not."

There was an awkward moment when both cast about for something to say, their earlier elation dimming somewhat. Ryan's eyes landed on a game system, his expression lighting up.

"You've got a Game Cube?"

"Yeah, what teenage boy doesn't?"

Ryan made his way towards the system. "I don't. That's the one thing that my dad doesn't get. He thinks video games are mindless and he'd rather me be active, you know, doing stuff that requires logic and hard work."

"Logic and hard work? Obviously your dad has never played _Zelda_. That's about as logic and hard working as you can get in a video game."

"You have _Wind Waker_?"

"Of course."

"Do you have an Xbox, too?"

Troy shook his head. "Nah, I prefer the graphics on Game Cube." He raised an eyebrow. "Wanna play?"

Ryan was already reaching for a controller. "Do you even have to ask?"

They spent a good hour or two trying to get up as many levels as they could, each taking turns. Ryan was currently playing.

"No, over there! There's an item in that pot and you can blow up that wall with a bomb," Troy shouted.

Ryan shoved at him a bit. "I know, Bolton. I was just getting there. Now _quit_ telling me all the secrets."

"Well, it looked like you were going to miss it," muttered Troy in mock indignation. He moved away before Ryan could shove him again.

"See, this is why I prefer the old-school _Zelda_ on Super Nintendo. I'm not used to these graphics."

Troy patted him on the back. "Well get used to it, Evans."

Ryan grinned. "Chad has Super Nintendo. Even though it's falling apart he refuses to part with it."

Troy felt a twinge of irritation at the mention of Chad, thinking it wasn't necessary to bring him into the conversation. Then not understanding where it came from. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and got up.

"I'm hungry. Are you hungry?"

Ryan's eyes were fixed on the television screen, his fingers moving fast over buttons. "Sure. What you got?"

Troy thought for a minute. "Actually…nothing. My parents are going to a dinner party tonight so they didn't cook anything. Left me some money for pizza though." But Troy didn't feel like pizza. "Hold on a second, I got an idea."

Ryan paused the game. "Oh?"

"Yeah, Gabriella's mom makes this killer chicken stir fry and she always makes it on Thursdays."

Ryan cocked his head. "And we're just going to go over there and…eat it?"

"Yup."

"And that's alright?"

"It should be. Let me call."

Ryan gave him a small, bemused smile, one side of his lip quirking up slowly and Troy momentarily forgot Gabriella's number.

He cleared his throat. "I'll be right back." He walked to the kitchen where he left his cell phone. Flipping it open, he dialed and waited.

Gabriella answered on the first ring. "Hi!"

"That was fast."

She sounded out of breath. "What? Oh…yeah. Well, anything to get away…"

"So I take it Sharpay is over there and you're working on your project?"

Troy couldn't see it but he just knew Gabriella was rolling her eyes. "Yeah. It's a bit…awkward. And, of course, we started fighting the moment we got to my house. So we ended up working without talking to each other the rest of the time." She paused to sigh. "She's completely incorrigible."

Troy grinned. "Well, at least you got some work done. Ryan and I, however, have accomplished absolutely nothing."

Gabriella laughed. "What do you mean accomplished nothing? I bet you guys got to the next level in whatever video game you were playing, right?"

As if on cue Ryan let out a yell in the next room. "Son of a bitch!"

"Was that Ryan?"

"Yeah. Ah, you know me too well."

"What happened?"

"He just died, I'm guessing."

Gabriella snorted.

"So we were thinking about coming over and eating all your food."

"What else is new?"

"Ryan's coming with me. That's new," he replied innocently.

"Nice try."

"So can we come over?"

"Yeah. Let me just…" she paused.

"Do you want Sharpay to leave before we come over?"

"Well…yeah. I just think it'd be a bit weird for all four of us to have dinner together. And I don't really want for her to stay any longer than she has to."

Troy thought about it. "Yeah, that would be weird. Give me a call when you guys are done."

"Alright. Bye."

Troy hung up and headed back to the living room. "All set. Gabriella is just getting rid of your sister."

"That bad, huh?"

"I guess so. I admire you for dealing with her on a daily basis."

Ryan chucked a cushion at him. "Hey now. I know she's difficult at times but she's not bad if you actually get to know her. Plus she's my sister and, you know, I love her and all that junk."

Troy laughed. "All that junk?"

Ryan grinned. "Yup. All that mushy emotional stuff guys aren't supposed to say in front of other guys."

Troy snorted. "Yeah. I guess I wouldn't know since I'm the only child."

"Does it get hard sometimes?"

"Nah. A bit lonely but it also means I get spoiled and get double the presents on birthdays and holidays."

"Well then, all is right with the world."

Troy chuckled. "Yeah." He turned to see Ryan smiling at him again. Except this time it was paired with a contemplative look, like Troy was a puzzle he was trying to figure out. Troy fidgeted and stood. "So we should head on over."

"I thought we're suppose to wait until my sister leaves."

Troy already had his car keys in hand. "Yeah, but we can always just wait in Gabriella's room."

Ryan stood up as well. "And how exactly are we suppose to get to Gabriella's room without crossing paths with my sister?"

"Easy. Just climb the tree by her balcony."

Ryan gaped at him. "Um…do you do that often?"

Troy nodded. "Yup. I come over whenever."

"And Gabriella's okay with that?"

Troy nodded again. "Why?"

Ryan shook his head. "You two are so weird."

Troy scratched his head, confused but headed outside, locking the front door on his way out. He unlocked the doors to his truck and climbed in. He noticed Ryan hesitating and warily eyeing the stray seatbelt, which dangled uselessly off the edge of the passenger side. Troy smiled.

"You don't have to wear it. I'll just drive extra slow. Gabriella doesn't live that far anyway."

Ryan raised an eyebrow at him but climbed in and gingerly sat down.

Troy started the car and moved to shift the gear into first but released the clutch too quickly. The truck lurched forward causing Ryan to topple over a little and grab onto the dashboard. He turned and gave Troy a look.

Troy smiled sheepishly. "Oops?"

Ryan just shook his head. "I swear you're going to be the death of me, Troy Bolton," he muttered.

Troy managed to get the truck off neutral and slowly backed out of his driveway. He turned left and headed towards the street that lead to Gabriella's house, not knowing why that one statement made his body flush from head to toe.

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**A/N: **I'm not sure how many chapters this will be but I do have the next part written. :-) Let me know what you all think! 


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I appreciate each and every single one of them. :-). Here's part two. It might take me awhile to post the next part because it's not finished, yet. But I have a good chunk of it written. :-)**

* * *

**Title:** Anywhere But In Between 

**Rating:** T (But it might be rated higher in later chapters)

**Pairing:** Troy/Ryan, hints of Gabriella/Sharpay, past Troy/Gabriella

**Word Count:** For this chapter: 3,440

**Summary: **Troy and Ryan end up being partners for an English project and Troy discovers more than he's ready to handle.

**Author's notes:** This is sort of a companion fic to **Maria1229**'s story _**Of Lavender and Laundry Detergent (Gabriella/Sharpay).**_ And I say "sort of" and use the term companion loosely because, though it follows the _very basic_ storyline, it's also quite different from her story. And you definitely don't have to read her story first to get what's going on here. But you may want to anyway because it's really good!

* * *

**Anywhere But In Between**

**Part 2**

At East High one can usually tell it's midterm season when students start to not care where they study. Troy tripped over a sophomore on his way out of a bathroom stall. The boy was immersed in a history book, vigorously highlighting sentences in a notebook. He tripped over two more on his way to his locker. When he noticed Ms. Darbus muttering under her breath about incompetent drama students being the downfall of theatre, he knew they were definitely into the core of what the students lovingly dubbed as "hell on earth," describing the weeks devoted to studying and projects leading up to midterms. Troy looked around and noticed a couple of seniors lounging, not bothering with any books. Maybe he wasn't the only one with a bad case of senioritis. It was probably contagious, which was unfortunate for Troy considering he still had five exams to study for and a project to finish. And he and Ryan had yet to come up with a theme for their Shakespeare project.

"So I was thinking we do a rap show."

Troy jumped and just barely prevented his elbow from hitting his locker door. He closed it to find Ryan on the other side.

"Huh?" was his intelligent reply.

Ryan smirked. "Wow. I really got to stop sneaking up on you. Though, I was standing here for a good two minutes trying to get your attention."

Troy flushed again. He'd been doing that a lot lately. "Man, sorry. My mind just tends to wander off sometimes."

"I can see that."

Troy rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah. So what were you saying about a rap?"

Ryan adjusted his hat. Red this time but a dark shade, bordering on maroon. Troy tried not to stare.

"I said, maybe our "creative" theme can be a rap?"

Troy stared at him. He couldn't help it. "You want to do a rap? To Shakespeare?"

Ryan nodded. "I know it sounds weird but hear me out. The presentation has to be at least five minutes, right? So we can get the basic summary of what happens in our story out. And it'll be fun and we can go back and forth. Maybe do a little dance, wear outfits that they wore in the play. And I doubt anyone else would think of something like that. And the best part is Shakespeare is all about poems and sonnets. And you can't really get any more poetic than a rap song in our present time of a hip-hop addled culture."

Troy bit his lip and tried not to laugh. He failed. Ryan watched him the whole time an amused smile on his face.

"Done yet?"

Troy nodded, wiping stray tears from his eyes. "I'm sorry that's just so…"

"Creative? Excellent? Brilliant?"

"…strange," Troy finished. "But that's why I like it. And it might actually work. Great job, Evans."

Ryan mocked bow. "Well, that's what I get paid the big bucks for. Creative genes just run in the family."

Troy shook his head as they both walked to class. "Wait. Do you really get paid?"

"Nope. I wish. I really should talk to Darbus about that. Choreographing the musicals isn't exactly easy work, you know."

Troy stopped walking. "So you were the one who made up all those ridiculous moves I had to do for _Twinkle Towne_ last year?"

Ryan grinned. "Yup. And they're not ridiculous."

"Speak for yourself. I looked like an idiot half the time."

Ryan laughed. "I am speaking for myself. They look excellent when _I_ do them. A jock with no coordination, however, is a different story." Ryan tsked. "And one would think since you play basketball and all…"

Snickering, Ryan ducked into class as soon as the bell rang. Which was a good thing, because Troy had been about to do some serious damage. He slid into his seat next to Gabriella, who seemed intent in burning a hole on the back of Sharpay's head judging by the death glare she was sporting.

"Everything alright?"

Gabriella answered without turning away. "No. She's ignoring me. _Again_. We got into another fight about how we should present our topic and now she's not talking to me. At this rate, we're both going to fail."

She looked close to tears and before Troy could reply, their teacher walked in and started class. He passed her a note with stick figure drawings of two people hugging. One had long dark hair, the other wearing an East High basketball jersey. Bright smiley faces and hearts were drawn all around them. Gabriella shook her head but smiled, looking much better than she did before. Troy leaned back against his chair, legs stretched out before him and prepared for a long lecture on genealogy. He caught a flash of red in his peripheral vision and turned to see Ryan looking at him, the same contemplative expression on his face he had the other day at Troy's house. When their eyes met Ryan gave him a small smile and Troy hesitantly smiled back before turning away. He focused his attention on the board. Genealogy never looked so interesting.

--&--&--

"So I was thinking we can work on the project at my house today."

Troy was in the middle of depositing the remains of his lunch in the trash. He didn't even jump this time when Ryan spoke. He was getting used to Ryan's inability to say hi before starting a conversation.

"Yeah?"

"Yup. Meet me at my locker after school. That okay?"

"Yeah, but you're driving. I had to ride with my dad to school today because my truck wouldn't start this morning."

"Gee. I wonder why."

"Shut it, smart ass."

"My ass _is_ pretty smart."

"So clever."

"You know it."

Chad came up, his own lunch tray riddled with wrappers and empty cartons. "Hey, Evans. We were thinking about playing a game at the field by your house after school. Interested?"

Ryan's face lit up. "Yeah, sure--"

"Actually we were going to work on our project after school," Troy interrupted, suddenly annoyed.

Ryan gave him a confused look. "We can always work on it after the game."

"I can't. My mom wanted me home early to help with dinner." A lie, but Ryan didn't know that. Troy was no longer looking at him, busying himself with putting away his lunch tray. He felt Ryan's stare burn a hole on the side of his head.

Chad, oblivious to Troy's weird behavior, shrugged. "That's cool. Some other time. I'll see you in physics." He nodded at Ryan and clapped Troy on the back before walking off.

There was an awkward silence. And when Troy could no longer pretend to fiddle with his lunch tray he looked up to see a mixture of confusion and curiosity on Ryan's face. Ryan opened his mouth to say something but the bell rang before he could. Students emptying their trays and heading towards their next class soon separated them. Troy turned to walk in the direction of his own class, head full of questions and more confused than ever.

He was distracted all through government. He couldn't figure out why he had been annoyed at Chad for inviting Ryan to a baseball game, and why he lied about having to be home early. Lines on the board about how bills became laws blurred together in his vision as he tried to focus. Stress. It had to be. All the pressure he had been feeling since the start of the year was finally piling up and taking its toll on him. There was so much he had to do and too little time to do them in. The State Championship was in a few weeks. Scouts from everywhere were coming to watch his team play. To watch _him_ play. They had to win. It was the game that could determine his future, something that his dad tried to not so subtly remind him every day. Troy wasn't even sure if basketball was what he wanted to do with his life. For as long as he could remember being in the NBA had been his dream, but now…

Troy sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. He needed to _breathe_. It didn't help that the project for Mr. Orfino's class was due three days before the game. Thinking about the project lead back to thoughts of Ryan and his earlier confusion, and Troy gave up on trying to pay attention.

He missed Gabriella. He missed the intimacy of their relationship and being close to her; the way he used to be able to completely lose himself within her whenever things became too difficult, too much to bear. Though Troy was grateful for their relationship now, there was still a longing to feel that connection again, if only for a moment, just enough to make everything stop spinning and for the world to right itself again. Because Troy was dizzy. And scared of being only one step away from falling over the edge if he didn't find balance soon.

The shuffling of feet and chatter shook him out of his thoughts. Class was over. He didn't even hear the bell ring. He got up and dutifully went to his locker to change books. The rest of the day was spent in a daze. A few teachers snapped at him for not paying attention but he did manage to pass the pop quiz they had in math. He's always been pretty good with numbers.

In a slightly better mood, he walked to his dad's office, ready to call it a day and go home. Then he remembered he was supposed to be meeting Ryan by his locker to discuss the project.

"Fuck." He glanced at his watch and noticed how late it was. He had spoken to a teacher after his last class about an extension on a paper he had yet to start, then had taken his time gathering his books before heading out. He ran. Ryan's locker was located two hallways down from his. He skidded to a halt before turning a corner in time to find him heading towards an exit.

"Ryan!"

Ryan turned and waited for Troy to catch up to him. "Hey, I didn't think you were going to show up."

"Dude, I'm sorry. I completely lost track of time."

"Everything alright?"

Troy caught his breath. "Uh…yeah. Just a bit--"

"—distracted, I know," Ryan finished for him. "Hey, if you're not up for working on the project tonight that's cool. I know you said you had to be home early."

Troy shook his head, wishing he hadn't said anything about that. "No, I'm fine. I can call my mom and ask her if it's okay for me to stay a bit longer."

Ryan continued to appraise him, one eyebrow raised and head tilted to the side. "Are you sure?"

Troy was already walking towards the double doors. "Yeah. Your car this way?"

"Uh huh. And I've got working seatbelts and everything."

Troy smiled and searched the lot for Ryan's car but then realized he had no idea what kind he drove. There were only two left and Troy headed towards the black BMW.

Ryan cleared his throat and pointed to the other one. "Over here, slick."

Troy turned to find a simple jeep cherokee, forest green and very shiny. He was surprised.

"Surprised?"

"Yeah, I just expected for you to have something--"

"—that cost as much as a house?"

Troy nodded sheepishly. "Uh, yeah. Talk about judging a book by its cover."

Ryan laughed. "It's alright. Sharpay _is_ my sister so it's understandable." He unlocked the doors and Troy got in, marveling at the comfortable seats and working seatbelts. "Plus you haven't seen my house yet, so your earlier assessments are probably right."

Troy _was_ right. The Evans estate was huge, complete with a gated entrance and two security guards. "Wow," Troy said under his breath, imagining what it'd be like to grow up in a place like this.

Ryan looked a bit embarrassed. "Yeah. It's a bit flashy."

"No, not flashy. Just overwhelming."

Ryan smiled and nodded at one of the security guards. The gate opened, admitting them in. They drove up a long, winding driveway until a house came into view. No, not a house. A _mansion_. Troy took in the massive view in front of him. It had to be at least three stories.

"It's like a castle," he said to no one in particular.

Ryan looked at him and laughed. "Not quite a castle but Sharpay and I used to pretend we were medieval knights in the Renaissance when we were kids. Well, _I_ used to pretend I was a knight and she was the princess I had to save. The west wing on the top floor was perfect for when she felt like being Rapunzel. She would make me stay outside while she tried to lower her hair down for me to climb. I couldn't convince her that it'd never be long enough but she was always determined."

Troy blinked at him repeatedly. Ryan flushed as if he just noticed how much he revealed. Troy smirked; glad for once that he wasn't the one being embarrassed.

"Wow. That's got to be the cutest thing I've ever heard."

"Shut up." Ryan's face was still tinged with a pleasant pink as he drove up to the garage. They got out and Ryan led him to the front where someone that looked like the maid greeted them. She smiled and took their coats.

"Thanks, Gloria."

"Of course, Mr. Evans."

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Ryan, _abuelita_. Mr. Evans is my dad."

Gloria smiled at him, a kind of motherly affection in her eyes that warmed her entire face.

"This is Troy. Troy, this is Gloria."

Gloria turned her brown eyes on him and her smile grew. "So this is Troy," was all she said.

Ryan flushed again and Troy gave him a puzzled look. "Well, we're just going to be working on our project. Will you tell mom that when she gets home?" He was speaking quickly and Troy looked back and forth between them, feeling like he was missing something.

"Of course, _mijo_. I made some cookies for you, they're in the kitchen if you want."

Ryan's whole face lit up and for a moment he looked like a little kid about to open presents on Christmas day. Troy smiled, something about Ryan and Gloria's relationship warming him inside and out.

"Cinnamon molasses?"

"Do I ever make anything else?"

Ryan swooped down to kiss her on the cheek before beckoning Troy to follow him. They walked through the foyer, Troy amazed with all the marble everywhere.

Ryan noticed. "I used to put on the most slippery socks I could find and slide back and forth all over here until I hurt myself or my dad would yell at me," he said. "It was fun."

Troy grinned at him. "You mean you don't do that now?"

"Oh I do. But only when I'm home alone."

They got to the kitchen, which was completely white everywhere and consisted of more marble. Troy reckoned he could probably eat off the floor. It was also probably bigger than his entire living room.

"Damn."

"Yeah I know. It's extravagant, but I love living here. And it made playing hide-and-seek quite an adventure."

"I can imagine."

"I once locked Sharpay in the cupboard over there."

"You serious?"

"Yeah. She stole my Optimus Prime action figure."

"You like Transformers?"

"Yeah, what teenage kid didn't?"

Troy stared at him in wonderment for a long time until Ryan started to fidget.

"What?"

Troy blinked and looked away. "Nothing. It's just that you're…so cool."

"I don't know whether to be flattered or insulted."

Troy shook his head and sat on a stool by the counter. "I'm sorry I just thought that…"

"I'm all about the jazz and glitter."

Troy nodded dumbly and Ryan chuckled. "I _do_ love drama and the theatre but I'm also still a guy, in case you haven't noticed," he joked.

"I've noticed," Troy said and immediately flushed. He had meant it as an off-hand comment but, somehow, saying to it Ryan didn't seem like it. He cleared his throat and looked anywhere but him.

"Cookie?"

A plate of cookies hovered by Troy's face and he took one without thinking. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Ryan took several himself before setting the plate back down. "You looked like you could use one."

Troy bit into his and immediately closed his eyes. It was the best thing he ever tasted. "Oh my God, this is amazing."

"Isn't it?" Ryan was well into his second one. "Gloria's got this secret recipe that she refuses to tell anyone."

"She seems really nice."

Ryan smiled through a mouth full of cookie, a fond look on his face. "She's great. She's been with us since Sharpay and I were born. Dad's business was just taking off and mom got pregnant with twins. They definitely needed help. Gloria's like a second mom."

"Where she from? Her accent sounds familiar."

"Barcelona. She took Sharpay and I there once when she went back to visit her family. It's beautiful."

"I'm jealous."

"Aw, I'm sure when you're a big shot basketball player, you'll be traveling the world."

Troy's smile faltered a bit. "Yeah, I'm not so sure." Before Ryan could question what he meant, he stood. "Ready to work?"

"Yeah sure. We can work in my room. I did some research last night on our topic on my computer."

Troy followed him upstairs. Ryan's room was located on the third floor and he briefly wondered if there was an elevator they could take. They passed several rooms. All the doors were plain white except one that was bright pink with jewels all up and down the sides.

"Sharpay's room?"

"Yeah, how can you tell?"

Troy shook his head and wondered how one could stand so much pink.

"She's at Gabriella's right now, I think."

Troy snorted. "Let's hope this meeting goes better than the other ones."

"At least you don't have to hear Sharpay complain until your ears fall off. It's all she talks about."

"Actually, I do. Gabriella does the same thing."

"They act like an old married couple." They turned a corner to a spacious corridor with only one room occupying the end. "This is me." Ryan opened the door and walked in, Troy right behind him.

"Wow! Your room is like bigger than my whole house."

"Again with the exaggerations." But Ryan had a smile on his face. "I seriously doubt that but yeah, it's pretty roomy."

Troy's eyes did a once over, taking in the bed with plain, green cotton sheets, the five rows of shelves filled to the capacity with hats, the fish tank by the window, the huge walk-in closet, the yoga mat on the floor, and the TV in the corner, before landing on a poster that instantly drew him in like a moth to a flame.

"You have a Barry Bonds poster? An _autographed_ Barry Bonds poster?"

Ryan nodded his head slowly, a sparkle in his eye like he knew exactly what Troy was thinking.

"You've met him?"

"Uh huh. My dad took me to a baseball game when I was thirteen. He arranged a meeting and we stayed a few hours after. It was amazing. Taught me how to throw a killer curve ball."

"So that's where you learned it."

"Huh?"

"Chad and I sometimes talk about where you learned to play. Some of the stuff you do out in the field you don't learn from little league."

Ryan rubbed a hand on the back of his neck, flattered. "Thanks."

Troy turned back to the poster, his expression awestruck. "You're one lucky son of a bitch, Evans. You've got everything."

"Not everything."

The tone was soft and Troy almost didn't hear him. He watched as Ryan cleared his throat and took off his hat, tossing it on the bed.

"So I found some stuff the other night that'll help with our rap." He sat down in front of the computer and beckoned for Troy to do the same. Troy took the chair next to him and tried to concentrate on the monitor, feeling the atmosphere shift around them. He glanced at Ryan but found his eyes glued on the screen as well, fingers typing rapidly on the keyboard.

They worked well into the night, Troy forgetting to supposedly call his mom about staying late. Ryan didn't remind him.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Here's part three. :-D There's actually very little interaction between Troy and Ryan in this one but this chapter needed to be written that way. But don't worry, there'll be more Troy and Ryan in the next one. :-) And once again, thank you very much for all your lovely reviews. **

* * *

** Title:** Anywhere But In Between 

**Rating:** T (But it might be rated higher in later chapters)

**Pairing:** Troy/Ryan, hints of Gabriella/Sharpay, past Troy/Gabriella

**Word Count:** For this chapter: 4,250

**Summary: **Troy and Ryan end up being partners for an English project and Troy discovers more than he's ready to handle.

**Author's notes:** This is sort of a companion fic to **Maria1229**'s story _**Of Lavender and Laundry Detergent (Gabriella/Sharpay).**_ And I say "sort of" and use the term companion loosely because, though it follows the _very basic_ storyline, it's also quite different from her story. And you definitely don't have to read her story first to get what's going on here. But you may want to anyway because it's really good!

**Disclaimer:** High School Musical and its characters belong to Disney and Company. This is all work of pure fiction. I own nothing. I'm just having fun and playing with their characters.

* * *

**Anywhere But In Between**

**Part 3**

Gabriella had always been a neat person. Everything she owned was where it was suppose to be. Her books were alphabetized, notes categorized, and clothes color-coded. So when Troy climbed through her window on Monday and found clothes strewn everywhere with no Gabriella in sight, he knew something was wrong.

"Gabriella?"

"In here!"

"In where?"

"My closet!"

Troy maneuvered his way past a pile of shirts but almost lost his footing when he passed a mound of sweaters. When he tripped over a stray sneaker he stopped before he caused himself injury. He could barely see through a thick veil of dresses that hung all around the closet door.

"Marco!"

"Polo!"

He made his way to the left and pushed aside an assortment of multi-colored underwear. He found Gabriella knee deep in her closet, rummaging through a drawer.

"Are you having some sort of charity drive?"

"Huh?" Gabriella continued to toss clothing aside, distracted. She was wrapped in a towel, hair still wet from the shower.

"What are you doing?"

She stood up and pushed shirts aside hanging from a rack. "Looking for this one blouse but I can't find it."

"Gabriella." Troy tried again and gently wrapped fingers around her arm, turning her attention to him. Gabriella looked at him as if just noticing he was there. "Everything all right?"

"Yeah, of course. Why?"

Troy turned her around to face the gigantic mess that was her room.

"Oh, that." She shrugged. "I can't find this one blouse."

"What does it look like?"

"It's light pink. And it's got this sequenced pattern on the side."

Troy made a face. "I thought you hated that shirt. It was a gag gift from Sharpay at last year's musical wrap-up party."

Gabriella made her way over to the bed and sat down, bangs falling in her face and looking morose. "Yeah, you're right. I don't know what I was thinking."

"You sure everything's all right?"

"Yeah." Gabriella didn't look at him. "You're early."

Troy spotted the lie but let it slide. For now. "I got up early. Are all these clothes yours?"

"Nope. Some of them are my mom's. I was going through some of her old stuff. We_ are_ having a charity drive. Well, the Scholastic Decathalon team is and my mom saw it as an opportunity to get rid of all the stuff she doesn't wear anymore."

Troy walked over, dodging a belt that tried to hook itself around his ankle. "You better get dressed then, because at this rate we're going to be late for school."

Gabriella groaned and got up. "Right. Toss me my bra."

Troy did.

"My white one."

Troy grinned at her. "But I like the green one."

"It's see-through."

"Exactly."

"Pervert." But got dressed in front of him anyway.

Troy smiled and laid down, his mind at ease. He had a hard time sleeping last night. When he told Gabriella he got up early he didn't tell her it was because he hardly slept at all. He kept having the same dream over and over, which wasn't unusual since he's had the dream before, but never this much at one time. He's had it four times this week. And it started off exactly the same, with his dad and teammates chasing him. Then it would go into different variations. Sometimes he got away, sometimes he didn't. His dad would catch up to him and throw a basketball jersey over his face until he couldn't see where he was going. He would struggle to take it off but it'd never budge. His cries for help were met by Chad's reassuring voice, which clashed horribly with the words that came out of his mouth.

_Come on, Troy. Suck it up. We only have one more game. Why can't you focus? You'll only have yourself to blame if we lose, you know._

Troy would rapidly shake his head and try to talk. To explain. But the jersey constricted around his throat and he couldn't breathe. His eyes would turn to his dad, pleading.

_I'm sorry, son. This is the way it's got to be. Don't disappoint me._

Then things would get dark as he struggled to keep afloat. He always woke up before he passed out, drenched in cold sweat and mind swirling a mile per minute. Those nights were the worse. And the nights he actually got away were even more confusing. But he felt safer. More in control. He'd get to the tunnel and the light at the end would be brighter than ever. It caused Troy to shield his eyes but he'd keep moving forward until he heard a voice, strong and confident.

_It's all right, Troy. You're okay._

Troy couldn't make out whom the voice belonged to, but he took the hand that was held out in front of him anyway. And he'd instantly feel better, calm, and assured. He always clung to the fringes of that dream every time he woke up, trying to make sense of it and to figure out who the person was. The voice was familiar. Someone that he knew, maybe even be friends with. Some nights he laid in bed until the sun came up, going through voices in his head that would match the one in his dream. But it was always faint and the echo in the tunnel covered up most of it. He'd lay there frustrated until the dream faded away and he could barely recognize it at all. But he knew it wasn't Gabriella. It hadn't been Gabriella for a while.

Troy started when he felt a weight on his stomach.

"Wake up, Wildcat."

When had he fallen asleep? "Bleurgh?"

"What was that? What is this language that you speak?" Gabriella was sitting on him completely dressed and a grin plastered on her face.

Troy yawned and rubbed his eyes. "You're sitting on me."

"Yes. I figured I wasn't doing my strip tease right if you fell asleep on me."

Troy sat up, placing an arm on her thigh and another around her back to keep her from falling off. "I missed the strip tease?"

"And I was giving you some of my best moves, too."

He blinked at her sleepily.

"I'm kidding." She smiled and ruffled his hair.

He leaned into her palm and rested his forehead against her side. "I'm sorry I just haven't been sleeping very well."

"You and I both." She moved until her side was snug against his chest and her head was on top of his. Troy's arms held her tighter, fingers resting lightly on her hip. They fit together so well. And Troy wondered, not for the first time, why couldn't they have made it work.

"Everything all right?" They spoke at the same time.

Troy smiled. "Eh. Things could be better."

"Still worried about a scholarship?"

He shrugged and looked away. He felt soft fingers under his chin, reassuring and persuasive. He couldn't help but look back.

"Troy, you'll get it. You're amazing. Have you not seen yourself play? And even if you don't, which you will, there are other options."

"It's not just the scholarship."

"What is it? Your dad?"

"Well, my dad and the scholarship sort of go one in one."

"Then what is it?"

Troy didn't know how to tell her how off he'd been feeling since the summer because he had a hard time explaining it to himself. Things were supposed to change senior year. Teenagers made discoveries about themselves, excited for the future and the prospect of new things. But it wasn't supposed to be this confusing. Troy understood the demands and the challenge of being on his own after high school. He thought a lot about it over the summer. But the confusion he had now felt deeper, like it went beyond school problems. Something more personal. And he couldn't pin point the reason why everything felt out of place. Like his world had become topsy-turvy. It used to be so simple. School, basketball, friends, girlfriend, those were things that didn't need explanations. Things that he could handle. Then he and Gabriella broke up and he was left grasping edges in the dark, trying not to stumble.

"Troy?" Her voice was soft and concerned and Troy reveled in it.

"I think we should get back together."

He felt her whole body stiffen in response.

"What?"

"I think we should give it another go."

"What?!"

"Am I speaking a language you don't understand?"

Gabriella got off his lap and stood. "Yes! You might as well be. Troy, what's going on?"

Troy ran a hand through his hair, not knowing what he was saying but still trying to get her to agree.

"We didn't even try to make it work. I think we gave up too easily. Don't you?"

"No. Where is this coming from? I thought things were okay with us."

Troy went up to her and took her hands in his. "We were so good together, Gabriella. I want us to give it another try." _I need you_, he thought. _I need you to make it all right again_.

She looked at him, her stare piercing and expression contemplative. "Troy." She squeezed the hand in hers. "Is this what you really want?"

Troy opened his mouth to say yes but nothing came out. He swallowed and tried again but the word died in his throat. Because, no, it wasn't what he really wanted. But it didn't matter because with Gabriella things were better. With Gabriella, he knew where everything was heading. It was all so straightforward. Safe. And he didn't have nightmares.

Gabriella waited for him to say something but he just stared and silently begged her to understand. She sighed, let go of his hand and walked towards her dresser drawer. She opened it and pulled out a long, silvery chain, a jewel encrusted charm attached at the end of it. The letter _T_. It was the necklace he had given to her at the end of last year. She closed her fingers around it and walked back to him, a determined look on her face.

"Do you remember why you gave me this necklace?"

Troy looked at her, not understanding. He's had that necklace for as long as he could remember. His mom gave it to him as a child on his seventh birthday. He had asked what the red rubies on it meant. She said it was his birthstone. And it meant that he was special and that she was going to love him forever. _Promise?_ he had asked. And she smiled, kissed him on the forehead, and tickled him until he couldn't breathe. He's worn it every day since, until he gave it to Gabriella.

"Yes. I gave it to you because I…" He paused. "I wanted you to know how…special you were to me and it was a promise." He looked away, aware how lame and corny that sounded. He felt Gabriella's hand in his and he looked up and saw understanding in her eyes.

"A promise that we'll always care for each other, right?"

"Yeah." Troy still didn't know where she was going with this.

"Don't you get it, Troy?"

Troy looked at her blankly.

"I still have this. Even after we broke up. We _broke up_, Troy. And we're_ okay_. I don't resent you for anything. I don't love you any less. You're my best friend and I wouldn't trade the relationship we have for anything, even after everything that's happened."

Gabriella led them both to her bed and Troy sat down, his mind trying to digest her words. She held the necklace up for both of them to see.

"I kept this because I knew things would always be okay between us. I kept it because I knew this time, it was _okay_ to keep it. And that whenever I looked at it all I would remember are good memories. Do you know what I mean?"

"I think so."

She let the necklace rest on the palm of her hand. Troy ran a finger through the jewels, tracing them and finally understanding what Gabriella was saying to him.

"If we get back together, knowing that it's not what either of us really wants, it'll only be inevitable until we start getting bitter and resent each other. And I don't want that to happen. No regrets, remember?"

Troy smiled, still tracing the necklace with his finger. "Yeah, I remember."

Gabriella closed her hand around it and Troy looked at her. A thick veil of understanding fell between them and Troy squeezed her hand until he felt the edges of the necklace dig into his palm. The slight pinch grounded him and reminded him what a fool he was being. He had wanted to get back together with Gabriella for all the wrong reasons. And she was right; at the end, they'd probably dislike each other bitterly.

"Don't make me give this necklace back to you, Bolton. I really like it."

And just like that, the tension from earlier gave way. And things were all right again. Troy laughed. "No, it's yours. I meant for you to keep it." He leaned forward until their foreheads were touching. "God, I'm sorry. I'm an idiot."

"No. It just seems like you've got a lot on your mind." She pulled back and looked him straight in the eye. "I'm not sure what it is but I got a feeling you're not so sure either."

Troy nodded.

"Either way, you know I'm here for you, right?"

"I know."

"Good."

They were silent for a moment until a yell came from downstairs. "If you two don't get going soon, you're going to be late!"

They both looked at the clock on the bedside table. "Shit!"

Gabriella picked up her bag and flew down the stairs, Troy right behind her. She barreled through the kitchen, only stopping to grab a muffin and kiss her mom on the cheek.

"Thanks, mom!"

Troy grabbed three muffins and swooped down to kiss her on the cheek as well before heading out the door after Gabriella.

"Drive safe!" Ms. Montez yelled after them. "Especially in that truck, Troy. I don't trust it."

Troy helped Gabriella wrap the seatbelt around her middle and rolled the windows down.

"Yes, mom! You know she's safe with me." He turned to see Gabriella rip a long strip of duct tape from the roll he had and stick it to the sides of her stomach. Ms. Montez caught it. Troy winked at her before deliberately pulling slowly out of their driveway.

--&--&--

They ended up being ten minutes late. Fortunately for Gabriella, the teacher for her first class was lenient. Troy wasn't so lucky. He ended up getting detention and a telling off from Mrs. Leyland, a tall, rather severe-looking woman with a penchant for strict rules and guidelines. And above all, she despised tardiness. Chad gave him sympathetic looks the whole time and he felt mildly grateful despite his ill-fitting feelings towards Chad as of late. He supposed it was his own fault for having a mild breakdown. But what teenager wasn't entitled to a breakdown every now and then? He half-listened to Mrs. Leyland go on about proper class etiquette, nodding dutifully in all the right places. He sat down next to Chad who put a comforting hand on his shoulder and proceeded to deliver a plethora of words, about how Mrs. Leyland probably had a huge stick up the most inappropriate of places, all said in low whispers as Troy tried to keep a straight face and not laugh. He felt immensely better by lunch.

Troy stared at the ten-ounce burger, the plate of fries drenched in ketchup, and the small apple on his tray hungrily. He picked up the burger and bit into it, feeling like he hadn't eaten in weeks.

"I could have sworn you ate three huge muffins on the way to school this morning."

Gabriella sat next to him, her eyes widening slightly at the burger.

"I knmff bte tht waz theez murnigng."

"I'm sorry but I couldn't understand you through the half-masticated cow currently rolling around in your mouth."

Troy swallowed and grinned at her, mustard on the corner of his mouth.

"I said, 'I know but that was this morning.'"

"It was only four hours ago. I'll never understand how you can eat so much."

Troy patted his stomach. "I'm a growing boy."

"Well, I'm a growing girl but I can never put that much down."

"That's because you don't have my stamina."

Gabriella raised an eyebrow. "What does stamina have to…?" She shook her head. "Never mind."

Chad and Taylor walked towards them and sat down. Troy eyed Chad's tray and noticed a burger, a hot dog, fries, and a plate of pasta. He grinned.

"Are you planning on eating all of that?" Taylor asked.

"He's a growing boy apparently," Gabriella said before Chad could reply.

"But it's so unhealthy."

Troy held up his apple. "I have fruit. Does that count?"

Gabriella laughed. "That is so pathetic."

Before Troy could respond, something sparkly fell into his line of vision. Sharpay was standing in front of him, her back to him and facing Gabriella.

"Give me your notes."

"Hi to you, too," Gabriella bit out, her lips tightening but her eyes flashing something that Troy would have missed if he wasn't looking directly at her.

"Notes?"

"What do you need them for? I thought you made a copy of all the stuff we wrote down."

"I lost them."

Gabriella looked ready to argue but sighed instead. She bent down and started rummaging through her bag. "Just a minute."

Troy sympathized and wondered how she possibly could be related to Ryan. "So how are things going between you and my brother?"

Sharpay had turned around and was now looking at him with an unreadable expression. Troy's eyes widened with surprise, caught off guard and he fleetingly wondered if Sharpay could read minds. He looked around to see Chad and Taylor immersed in conversation and Gabriella still going through her book bag. He suddenly felt cornered and he didn't know why.

"Uh…what?"

"Did you not understand the question?"

Troy was floored. Sharpay had never been mean to him. In fact, she's barely spoken to him since school started which was, when he thought about it, highly unusual, but he wasn't complaining. Her attitude towards him now, however, was confusing and completely uncalled for.

"If you mean the project, then things are fine."

She raised a perfectly trimmed eyebrow at him. "What else would I mean?" She paused. "Just don't mess things up."

Troy didn't have the faintest clue what she was talking about and opened his mouth to say so but was interrupted.

"Here you go." Gabriella pulled out the notes and handed it over to her.

"Thanks," Sharpay said, and gave Troy one last look before turning around and walking away.

Gabriella watched her retreating back, confusion written all over her face.

"What was that about?"

Troy shook his head and looked up, his gaze landing on the second level of their cafeteria where Sharpay was currently holding court. Ryan was sitting next to her, smiling and biting into a burger. "I have no idea."

The day went by quicker than usual and Troy was glad. He, however, was not looking forward to detention. But he was grateful that he didn't have basketball practice today. He didn't want to think about having to explain to his dad he couldn't make it because of detention, especially since the Championship game was looming closer. Thank God for small miracles. The bell rang signaling the end class and he stood up and quickly made his way to his locker. The sooner he got this detention over with, the better. He just hoped the teacher serving it was anyone but Mrs. Leyland.

He stuffed books he needed in his bag and shoved it in the locker, intending to pick it back up after. He almost ran into Ryan as he hurried around a corner.

"Whoa there, buddy. Where's the fire?"

"Sorry. Just don't want to be late for detention."

Ryan frowned. "You got detention?"

"Yeah, I was late this morning. Leyland wasn't too happy."

"Oh." He paused, crinkling his forehead. "I was hoping we could work on the project again today."

Troy immediately felt bad. "Shit." He didn't even think about that. "I'm so sorry, it totally slipped my mind." He mentally kicked himself for forgetting. "Maybe we can do it after?"

"Yeah, we can do that or…" Ryan paused and appeared to be thinking.

"Or?"

"Never mind, leave it to me. You just head on to the direction you were going."

"Oookay," Troy said but didn't move. He stared at Ryan in confusion.

"What are you waiting for? You said you didn't want to be late."

That snapped Troy out of it and he ran.

He made it just in time to see Mr. Ackles taking attendance. Troy let out a grateful sigh and thanked whatever angel was watching over him. Mr. Ackles was the nicest teacher at East High. Stern and firm, but fair. He was also only a few years out of college, making him the youngest teacher on staff. It also meant he was everyone's favorite. Incredibly smart, good looking, broad and athletic, all the female students had crushes on him, swooning every time he walked passed them in the hallways. Ever the humble guy, he always pretended not to notice. He was also a huge basketball fan and had been to almost every single East High game. Troy had him for an art class junior year and he actually missed it. He relaxed. Mr. Ackles was a cool guy.

"Ah, Troy. Just in time. Please have a seat."

Troy sat in the only seat available in the middle, closest to the window.

"Seems like a lot of you have been breaking the rules today," Mr. Ackles joked.

Troy looked around the full classroom. Teachers must have been detention happy. That, or students weren't the only ones being affected by midterm season.

"Detention starts in about two minutes. You may not talk, eat, drink, sleep, or do any homework for the hour you are here. If you have to use the bathroom, please take the hallway pass by the board. No dilly dallying or I'll be forced to find you."

Putting down the clipboard, he sat down behind his desk and began to grade papers.

Troy was already falling asleep. He forced himself awake and focused his eyes on a poster of a painting Mr. Ackles had hanging on the wall behind him. A painting of _Bridge over a Pool of Water Lilies_ by Monet if Troy remembered correctly from his art class. Troy was mesmerized by the use of color, wondering what about nature fascinated Monet so much that he was able to paint it like that.

There was a knock on the door and Troy looked up, surprised to find Ryan on the other side.

"Mr. Evans, what can I do for you?"

Ryan came in and fell into hushed conversation with Mr. Ackles. Troy distinctly heard his name and the word "truck." He saw Mr. Ackles contemplate something, a slight frown on his face and forehead wrinkling before he turned to Troy and beckoned him to cover over. Troy stood up, confused, hoping he hadn't gotten into any more trouble.

"Troy, you may go."

Troy looked between Ryan and his teacher, completely bewildered. He opened his mouth to say something but was stopped by the warm pressure of Ryan's fingers on his arm. Troy shivered and wondered if a window was open.

"I explained to Mr. Ackles about the charity drive." Ryan gave Troy a look that clearly meant _play along_.

Troy nodded his head slowly. "Yeah," he said and inwardly cringed. Well, what was he suppose to say? He had no idea what was going on.

Mr. Ackles smiled. "That's very generous of you boys. Well go ahead, I can let this one slide. Just don't let me see you again in here the rest of the year, all right?"

Troy nodded again, still confused. He also felt a bit dizzy, hot and cold at the same. Ryan's hand still rested on his arm and then he was being gently pulled out of the classroom. Once they were out the door and out of earshot, Ryan turned to him, a huge grin on his face.

"Well I think that's worthy of an Oscar, don't you?"

Troy stared at him. "I don't know what just happened here."

"I told Mr. Ackles that you and I were helping the Scholastic Decathalon team with their charity drive. You were supposed to drive because you had a truck that we could fit more things in. And it was just a shame that you were in detention because the team was short-handed today and could really use our help."

Maybe Ryan and Sharpay really were related. "I can't believe that actually worked."

"Well, his dad and my dad are golf buddies so that probably helped a bit."

Troy stared at him some more before reluctantly smiling.

"Wow, using daddy and a charity drive as an excuse to get me out of detention? You are so going to hell, Evans."

Ryan tipped his hat. "Ah, yes, but aren't we all." He grinned, his expression mischievous and eyes bright.

Troy decided that going to hell wasn't so bad.


End file.
